Real Madrid have finally sacked Julen Lopetegui following a string of disappointing results over a month. Julen Lopetegui joined Real Madrid following the World Cup. He replaced Zinedine Zidane who resigned just days after the Champions League win.
Real Madrid began the season well under Lopetegui, winning their first three La Liga games and beating Roma 3-0 in their Champions League opener. However, since they lost 3-0 to Sevilla last month, Real’s form suffered a massive dip. They did not win a single La Liga game after 22nd September.
On Sunday, Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-1 at Camp Nou and this result was the last nail in Lopetegui’s coffin. This is Lopetegui’s second sacking within 4 months.
Real Madrid B manager Santiago Solari is the club’s interim manager now. Solari is a former Argentine midfielder who played for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan. He also played 11 matches for Argentina. Solari managed Real Madrid’s youth team from 2013-2016 before becoming the manager of their B team.
Along with Solari, Antonio Conte is heavily favored to become Lopetegui’s replacement. However, a few days back, Conte’s brother said that Real Madrid did not contact him.
A statement from Real Madrid read, “The Board of Directors understands that there is great disproportion between the quality of the staff of Real Madrid and the results obtained to date. The club thanks Julen Lopetegui and all his technical team for their effort and work and wishes them the best in their professional career.”
Real Madrid’s next match is a Copa del Ray encounter against third-tier club Melilla.
